The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.com
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■ OBITUARIES
Phyllis Bumgardner Champion KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC – Phyllis Bumgardner Champion, 76, of Kings Mountain, NC, passed away on December 24, 2019 at Testa Family Hospice House in Kings Mountain. She was born in Cleveland County NC, to the late Austin L. and Nell Rice Bumgardner. Phyllis was a member of First Baptist Church. She enjoyed traveling and loved spending time at the beach where she and Perry lived for a number of years. Phyllis was a diehard Blue Devils fan. She was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother who loved her family dearly. Phyllis will be missed greatly by her loving family and friends. She is survived by her husband of 57 years: Perry Champion, of the home; daughter: DeDe Doyle (Jim), Valdosta GA; grandchildren: Nicholas and Ellie Doyle; brother: Bill Bumgardner (Betti), Kings Mountain, NC and sister in law: Loreen Cain (John), Kings Mountain, NC A Memorial Service was held on Sunday, December 29, 2019 at 2:00 PM at First Baptist Church, Kings Mountain with Rev. Dr. John Sloan officiating. The family received visitors immediately following the service in the Stained Glass Room of the church. Guest register is available at: www.harrisfunerals.com. Harris Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Kings Mountain, NC is in charge of arrangements.
Upcoming KM events Friends of Crowders Mtn. needs volunteers MLK Observance, Let It Shine on January 20 The City of Kings Mountain hosts Let It Shine: The American Civil Rights Movement 19551968, presented at the Joy Performance Center, Monday, January 20 at 3 pm. This show focuses on the tumultuous years between 1955 and 1968 shining light on important milestones in our history, including: the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the SCLC, Brown v. Board of Education, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and more come to life in this powerful tale. Let It Shine shows the high price paid by those who fought for equal rights during this turbulent time. This is a FREE community event. Patrick Senior Center Senior Exercise Classes for Ages 55 and up—Improve your health and wellness by joining one of our fun exercise classes offered daily. Classes include Seniors in Motion on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 10:30 am-11:30 am, Tai Chi on Tuesdays 4 pm - 5:15 pm, Chair Volleyball on Fridays 12:00 pm and Gentle Exercise on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 am-10 am. Beginner Quilting for Ages 55 and up—Learn the basics of quilting in our beginner quilting class on Mondays from 12:3 pm to 3 pm. Art Night at the Cen-
ter—Join the new art night on the third Thursday of the month. The next class will be Weaving Tapestry on Thursday, January 16 from 5 pm to 8 pm. Open to all ages and the cost is $15. Please call 704-7340447 to sign up. American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held on Friday, January 31 from 10 am —2:30 pm. Please call Karen Grigg at 704734-0447 to schedule an appointment. Black History Month Program—On Tuesday, February 11 from 9:30 am –11 am, the Patrick Senior Center will host its annual Black History Month Program. Please call 704-7340447 for more information. Valentine’s Day Dance—On Friday, February 14 from 7 pm - 9:30 pm, for ages 55 and up. Entertainment will be Endless Dreamz. Cost of admission is a canned item for our food pantry. Mauney Memorial Library Afternoon Adventures, Family, The Cat in the Hat: Presented by Sigmon Theatrical, Tuesday, February 25 from 4 pm - 5 pm in the Library Community Room. Registration required online or by calling the Library. Afternoon Adventures: Nocturnal Animals. (ages 6-12) Come learn about these night animals and dissect an owl pellet. REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Thursday, February 13, 4 p.m.
Bynum Chapel 22nd annual MLK Breakfast January 20 Bynum Chapel will hold their annual Martin Luther King Breakfast on , Monday, January 20, 2020 at 8am. Adults: $5; K-12 grades – FREE Keynote Speaker is Elder Michelle Hopper of Faith Harvest Church,
Shelby, NC Everyone is invited to attend! Bynum Chapel Family Life Center is located at 310 Ellis Street, Kings Mountain, NC 28086. Rev. Dr. Vernon F. Stinson is the Senior Pastor.
Understand Alzheimer’s and Dementia The Alzheimer’s Association will present a special program, Understand Alzheimer’s and Dementia, in the Mauney Memorial Library Community Room on Tuesday, February 11 at 5:30 pm. In the United States alone, more than 5 million individuals are living with Alzheimer’s and 16 million are serving as their unpaid caregivers. The disease is a global crisis that affects numerous families right here in our community. However, no one must face this disease alone or without information. The Alzheimer’s Association® has created an education program covering the basics of Alzheimer’s and dementia to provide a general overview for people who are facing a diagnosis as well as those who wish to be informed.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
The free one-hour Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia program covers the following: ● Explores the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. ● Examines what happens in a brain affected by Alzheimer’s. ● Details the risk factors for and three general stages of the disease. ● Identifies FDA-approved treatments available to treat some symptoms. ● Looks ahead to what is on the horizon for Alzheimer’s research. ● Offers helpful Alz-
heimer’s Association resources. For questions, or to join our Friends of the Library, email info@mauneylibrary. org or call the library at (704) 739-2371. RSVP @ tinyurl.com/KMTNUAD The Friends of the Mauney Memorial Library thank the community for its continued support. Mauney Memorial Library is located at 100 S. Piedmont Avenue, Kings Mountain, NC 28086. For the latest in library news and events, visit www.mauneylibrary. org.
Thirsty Thursdays Women’s Ministry event January 18
Teague named to Fall Dean’s List
Thirsty Thursdays Women’s Ministry will be kicking off the new year with our “Do you see what I see?” Women’s Gathering on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at Erwin Center located at 913 N. Pryor Street
CLARION, Pa. (January 10, 2020) - Courtney Teague of Kings Mountain, NC, was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2019 semester at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. To earn placement on the dean’s list, students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits and earn a 3.5 grade point average.
in Gastonia, NC at 10am. There will be dynamic teaching, fellowship, food, and fun. This event is FREE and open to all women. For more information, please contact Robin Bamberg at 704-460-4751.
Friends of Crowders Mountain, Inc. needs volunteers for trailwork and/or litter pickup on these Saturdays: February 8, March 21, April 18, and May 16. Meet at the Sparrow Springs Visitor Center, 522 Park Office Lane, Kings Mountain, NC at 8 a.m., finishing by noon. Tools, work gloves, safety glasses, insect repellant, drinks, and snacks will be provided on all trailwork days. Saturday, June 6, National Trails Day and Saturday, September 26, National Public Lands Day will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Boulders Access, 108 Vandyke Road, Kings Mountain, NC.
CC Partnership for Children meeting Jan. 16 The Cleveland County Partnership for Children will hold an NC Pre-K Committee meeting on Thursday, January 16, 2020, from 9:00am to 10:30am. The meeting will be held at Cleveland County Partnership for Children Board Room, 105 E. Ridge St., Kings Mountain, NC 28086. The Cleveland County Partnership for Children will hold a Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, January 23, 2020 from 11:30am1:30pm. The meeting will be held at Cleveland County Partnership for Children Board Room, 105 E. Ridge St., Kings Mountain, NC 28086.
After the NTD and NPLD trailwork events, lunch will be provided for volunteers, followed by a FOCM, Inc. meeting to which all are invited. Dress appropriately for outdoor work and bring any necessary medications. Trailwork days
are weather dependent. Remaining months’ trailwork events will be announced at a later date. Please see facebook.com/FriendsOfCrowdersMtn or www. friendsofcrowders.com If questions, contact the park office at 704-853-5375.
Free genealogy consultations at Library Get a free consultation with local genealogist, Mr. Greg Payseur. Payseur will be holding 30-minute, individualized meetings with anyone interested in exploring their family history, and ties to the Patriots in the Revolutionary War. For questions, or to join our Friends of the Library, email info@mauneylibrary.org or call the library at (704) 739-2371. The Friends of the Mauney Memorial Library thank the community for its continued support. Mauney Memorial Li-
PAYSEUR brary is located at 100 S. Piedmont Avenue, Kings Mountain, NC 28086. For the latest in library news and events, visit www.mauneylibrary.org.
January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month By Loretta Cozart President Barak Obama proclaimed January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January 4, 2010, one decade ago. Slavery and Human Trafficking crimes can happen everywhere, in cities large and small. Within the last year, these crimes have occurred at least three times in Cleveland County, in Kings Mountain twice and in Grover once. The charges range from rape and sexual servitude of a child victim, transporting sex slaves in his van, and allegedly keeping a woman and her daughter in sexual servitude. According to humantraffickinghotline.org, “Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. This crime occurs when a trafficker uses force, fraud or coercion to control another person for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or soliciting labor or services against his/her will. Force, fraud, or coercion need not be present if the individual engaging in commercial sex is under 18 years of age.” Not all Human trafficking cases include sex. Many instances have been reported and prosecuted in industries including restaurants, cleaning services, construction, factories and more. North Carolina Dept. of Administration has seen an increase in Sexual Slavery and Human Trafficking, attributing this to “the major highways that run through our state, a large, transient military population surrounded by sexually oriented businesses, numerous rural agricultural areas with a high demand for cheap labor, and an increasing number of gangs.” The National Human Trafficking Hotline estimates between 20 million and 40 million people live in
this modern form of slavery. In the report, “Human Trafficking Within and Into the United States: A Review of the Literature.” accessed July 31, 2019, it is estimated that about 50,000 people are trafficked into the US each year, mostly from Mexico and the Philippines. According to the Polaris Project, a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery, common signs in victims of Human Trafficking include: • Appearing malnourished • Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse • Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcement • Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction • Lacking official identification documents • Appearing destitute/ lacking personal possessions • Working excessively long hours • Living at place of employment • Checking into hotels/ motels with older males, and referring to those males as boyfriend or “daddy,” which is often street slang for pimp • Poor physical/dental health • Tattoos/ branding on the neck and/or lower back • Untreated sexually transmitted diseases • Small children serving in a family restaurant • Security measures that
appear to keep people inside an establishment - barbed wire inside of a fence, bars covering the insides of windows • Not allowing people to go into public alone, or speak for themselves Another way to protect yourself and your family is to monitor the NC State Bureau of Investigation’s Sex Offender Registry online. http://sexoffender.ncsbi.gov/ search.aspx Currently, 30 offenders are listed in Kings Mountain and 13 offenders are listed in Grover. Last week, a Grover man was arrested on seven counts of Sex Offender on Child Premises and one count of Sex Off Use Social Website. He was a registered Sex Offender who had been charged in another state. Be diligent when it comes to your safety and the safety of your family. Check the Sex Offender Registry regularly. If you notice odd changes in your child’s behavior, have a talk with them. If you are concerned for the well-being of someone that exhibits these signs, contact the Kings Mountain Police Department by calling 911. Or, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline to connect with services and support for human trafficking survivors, or to report a tip: call 1-888-373-7888, text 233733, or chat online.